Marjan Hamad March 6, 2013 Honors Psychology MS Disease Marjan Hamad March 6, 2013 Honors Psychology

MS or Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder affecting movement, sensation, and bodily functions.

How is MS transmitted? MS is an autoimmune disease, which means it is caused by an attack on the body, by its own immune system. For unknown reasons, the body’s immune cells attack and destroy the myelin sheath that insulates neurons in the brain and spinal cord.

Target Population? Genetic Factors has a higher risk of developing MS if another family member is affected. Some genetic susceptibility has been found in a higher prevalence of MS among people with the background of Northern European. Migration and Age also have and important role on whether or not developing MS. Environmental factors, are either protective or harmful, if it is acquired in early life; the risk of disease later in life reflects the effects of the early environment. Age plays an important role in determining this change in risk—young people in low-risk groups who move into countries with higher MS rates display the risk rates of their new surroundings, while older migrants retain the risk of their original home country. The Northern European Countries include; Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom

Where does MS affect the CNS/PNS? MS affects the central nervous system, attacking the brain and the spinal cord. MS attacks the myelin sheath, which is the fatty material that acts as a protective coating to the body's nerves. The inflammation of the nerve tissues covering the nerves can affect any part of the nervous system and varies from person to person.

How does MS affect the CNS/PNS? Multiple sclerosis affects the central nervous system, attacking the brain and the spinal cord. The inflammation of the nerve tissues covering the nerves can also affect any part of the nervous system and varies from person to person.

What are the symptoms? MS patients may experience symptoms such as numbness of the limbs, loss of vision, paralysis, loss of balance, unstable walking, clumsiness, spasticity, abnormal speech, memory loss, impotence, and bladder problems. In any one patient the symptoms may vary with each attack. The symptoms can last up to days or maybe months, they can go away or the patient can relapse periodically. MS has such a wide range of symptoms, it depends on how bad the person has the disease and how well their body handles it.

Prognosis MS is not a fatal disease, except in rare cases of the severe disease Most people with multiple sclerosis have a normal or near-normal life span The majority of patients with MS do not become severely disabled Although suicide rates in MS are higher than average

Cures or Treatments? MS has no actual cure although there are some treatments and medications that help reduce and slow down the disease such as Avonex, Betaseron, Extavia and Rebi Most treatments for MS are oral although you can participate in physical therapy that may help your joints cooperate better Some people have such mild symptoms that no treatment is necessary.

Some celebrities with MS Ann Romney (1998) Jack Osbourne (2012) Montel Williams (1999) Tamia (2003) Terri Garr (1999) Betty Cuthbert ( 1969)

Ann Romney Wife of 2012 Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, has told NBC’s Rock Center in August that a flare-up of her MS symptoms during the primaries was a “reminder that I can’t keep up the pace.” Romney was diagnosed with MS in 1998 after experiencing dizziness and what she referred to as “the MS fog, the real foggy brain.” Romney was living her normal life when and MS symptom just popped up and now this something she has to deal with the rest of her life

Organizations NMSS: National Multiple Sclerosis Society NMSS is a society that helps people affected by MS by funding cutting-edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education, and providing programs and services that help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. NMSS is a society that is active in all 50 states There are two active NMSS offices open in North Carolina, one in Raleigh and the other in Charlotte

Medical Facilities The following hospitals and facilities have specialty doctors and centers for multiple sclerosis Judith Jaffe Multiple Sclerosis Center Weill Cornell Multiple Sclerosis Center at Nyack Hospital NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

MS Informational Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgySDmRRzxY

Citations Brodsky, R. (2002). Multiple Sclerosis. In D. S. Blanchfield & J. L. Longe (Eds.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (2nd ed., Vol. 3, pp. 2249-2254). Detroit: Gale. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3405601044&v=2.1&u=cary81451&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w Johnson, N. (2001, December 9). Multiple Sclerosis. Retrieved March 3, 2013, from Serendip website: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro01/web3/Johnson.html